What Hockey Team Is in New Jersey? (Pro, College, Juniors)


In 1963, New Jersey got its first professional hockey team.

And no, it wasn’t the New Jersey Devils. That didn’t happen until the 80s.

The first pro team in The Garden State was the “Jersey Devils”. They played out of Cherry Hill Arena in the Eastern Hockey League until 1973.

While the original devils are long gone at this point, New Jersey has had a wide variety of high-level hockey over the years.

In this article, I’ll show you what pro hockey teams are in New Jersey and what D1 college and junior teams compete in the state. New Jersey is also one of the few U.S. states that has a professional women’s hockey team which you’ll learn about below.

Pssssst! Are you curious about hockey teams in other U.S. states? You can learn more by checking out our other posts: What Hockey Team Is in Florida, What Hockey Team Is in Arizona, and  What Hockey Team Is in Pennsylvania.

Let’s dive in.

Here’s What Hockey Teams Are In New Jersey:

New Jersey’s top hockey team is the New Jersey Devils (NHL). The top professional women’s team is the Metropolitan Riveters (PHF). The top college hockey team is Princeton University (NCAA Men’s D1). New Jersey also has a number of high-level junior hockey teams.

Does New Jersey Have a Hockey Team?

So, what is New Jersey’s hockey team?

New Jersey has dozens of different ice hockey teams. The top hockey team in the state is the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL).

The top women’s professional team is the Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).

The top college hockey team is Princeton University (NCAA Men’s D1).

Does New Jersey Have an NHL Team?

So, will you find an NHL hockey team in New Jersey?

Definitely! New Jersey is home to The New Jersey Devils.

The Devils compete in the Metropolitan Division of the NHL’s Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1974. However, they didn’t start out in New Jersey. The team originally was founded as the Kansas City Scouts out of Kansas City, Missouri. In 1976, the club moved to Denver to become the Colorado Rockies.

Then, in 1982, the Rockies moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey to become the New Jersey Devils. In 200, the Devils moved to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The Devils recently celebrated their 40th anniversary back in 2022.

The Devils have reached the Stanley Cup Finals a total of five times and have gone all the way to win the Stanley Cup three times: in 1995, 2000, and 2003.

Their last championship was in 2003 when they defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games. They beat the Mighty Ducks 3-0 in game seven before lifting the cup.

Some of the most famous New Jersey Devils players include:

  • Martin Brodeur
  • Scott Stevens
  • Patrik Elias
  • Scott Niedermayer
  • John MacLean
  • Ken Daneyko
  • Scott Gomez
  • Claude Lemieux
  • Kirk Muller
  • Petr Sykora

What Hockey Teams Are in New Jersey?

So, what hockey teams are in New Jersey? The Garden State has two professional hockey teams and several college and junior teams as listed below:

NHL

New Jersey’s NHL team is the New Jersey Devils. They play their home games out of Prudential Center in downtown Newark, New Jersey.

AHL

The AHL is a high-level professional sports league just one step below the NHL. New Jersey doesn’t currently have an American Hockey League (AHL) team.

ECHL

New Jersey doesn’t currently have a team in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). This is a mid-level professional sports league just one step below the AHL. 

However, New Jersey has had two ECHL teams: The Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies competed between 2001 and 2005 out of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Trenton Titans competed between 1999 and 2013 out of Trenton, New Jersey.

SPHL

Right below the ECHL is the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). This is a lower-level professional hockey league with teams primarily in the southern United States. New Jersey currently doesn’t have a team in the SPHL.

FPHL

Right below the SPHL is the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). This is a lower-level professional hockey league located in the eastern United States. New Jersey currently doesn’t have a team in the FPHL.

PHF

The top professional women’s hockey league in the U.S. is the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). New Jersey is one of five U.S. states that has a PHF team (there are also two teams in Canada).

What is the name of the New Jersey SPHL team? The Metropolitan Riveters. 

So, where do the Riveters play? The Riveters were founded in 2015 and play their home games at the American Dream Meadowlands ice rink located at 1 American Dream Wy, East Rutherford, NJ 07073.

D1, D2, D3 College Hockey

New Jersey has several college hockey teams within D1, D2, and D3 levels that compete within the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA):

  • Princeton University (NCAA Men’s D1)
  • The College of New Jersey (ACHA Men’s D1)
  • Rutgers University (ACHA Men’s D1)
  • William Paterson University (ACHA Men’s D1)
  • Rutgers University  (ACHA Men’s D2)
  • Monmouth University (ACHA Men’s D2)
  • Princeton University (ACHA Men’s D2)
  • Rider University (ACHA Men’s D2)
  • Rowan University (ACHA Men’s D2)
  • Montclair State University (ACHA Men’s D2)
  • New Jersey Institute of Technology (ACHA Mens’ D2)
  • Seton Hall University (ACHA Mens’ D2)
  • Stevens Institute of Technology (ACHA Men’s D3)

Juniors

While New Jersey is better known for its college hockey, it has over a dozen junior ice hockey teams as well. New Jersey has teams that compete in several leagues: North American Hockey League (NAHL), North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL), United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL), Eastern Hockey League (EHL):

  • New Jersey Titans (NAHL – Tier II)
  • Philadelphia Rebels (NAHL – Tier II)
  • New Jersey Titans (NA3HL – Tier III)
  • Jersey Hitmen (USPHL – NCDC Tier II)
  • Mercer Chiefs (USPHL – NCDC Tier II)
  • New Jersey Rockets (USPHL – NCDC Tier II)
  • Jersey Hitmen (USPHL – Premier Tier III)
  • Jersey Hitmen (USPHL – Elite Tier III)
  • New Jersey Rockets (USPHL – Premier Tier III)
  • New Jersey Rockets (USPHL – Elite Tier III)
  • Philadelphia Hockey Club (EHL – Tier III)
  • New Jersey 87’s (EHL – Tier III)
  • Protec Jr. Ducks (EHL – Tier III)
  • New Jersey 87’s  (EHLP – Tier III)
  • New Jersey Renegades (EHLP – Tier III)
  • Union Thunder  (EHLP – Tier III)

Is There High School Hockey in New Jersey?

Yes, there is plenty of high school hockey to go around in the Garden State.

New Jersey has one of the most robust high school hockey systems in America. High school hockey in New Jersey is sanctioned by USA Hockey and includes 161 high school varsity teams split into several different leagues which are referred to as conferences.

New Jersey high school hockey conferences include:

  • Big North Conference
  • Colonial Valley Conference (CVC)
  • Gordon Conference 
  • Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC)
  • Independents
  • Morris County Secondary School Ice Hockey League (MCSSIHL)
  • New Jersey Ice Hockey League (NJIHL)
  • Prep Schools
  • Shore Conference
  • Skylands Conference
  • Union County Ice Hockey League

Most conferences above are divided into different divisions. Every year, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association organizes a state championship tournament for all conferences to compete.

Is Hockey Popular in New Jersey?

So, do they play hockey in New Jersey?

The short answer is, yes.

To find out just how popular hockey is in the state, let’s look at some data.

In 2022, WalletHub crunched the numbers to determine which hockey cities were best for fans of the sport. In the study, WalletHub ranked the top 72 cities in the U.S. They worked with 21 key indicators of what made a city a “good” hockey city. Different indicators included stadium capacity, ticket prices, and the performance of major teams, among many others. 

New Jersey had two cities crack the top 72:

  • Newark (#9)
  • Princeton (#65)

So, is hockey popular in New Jersey? Overall, it’s pretty popular considering the number of high level teams (especially at the college level).

Are you curious to know more about hockey in other states across the U.S.? Don’t forget to check out our other full guide: Hockey Teams in Every U.S. State: Complete NHL & College List (2023).

Sources

https://www.nhl.com/devils

https://riveters.premierhockeyfederation.com/

https://goprincetontigers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey

https://highschoolsports.nj.com/boysicehockey/standings

https://www.ncsasports.org/mens-hockey/colleges

https://blog.hockeymap.com/2018/08/acha-college-hockey-teams-map-list.html

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